Here’s a fundraiser which will get kids washing behind their ears and more. Not only will this fundraiser be fun, but it can be one students help in doing. So gather up those non toxic bars of soap, food coloring, molds and other non toxic soap supplies to get started.

Do the literal soap making at school with the students. Here’s one recipe and what you’ll need:

Cold process soap (recipe address below)
Heating element
Medium size pot
Wooden spoons
Whole milk or distilled water
Essential oils
Additives like grains, botanicals, and colorants
Plastic container with lid
Different style of soap molds

These items will make your soap base before anything else takes place. You can find several great online sites for safe soap making with kids – ingredients can also be bought online at a great discount and maybe you can get one of your town’s big companies to sponsor the soap event so all kids can participate.

Since there will be a melting process and heat involved, this part of the soap making should be done by the teacher or adult volunteer. Have the students pick one or two soap molds before hand, so that when the melted soap is ready to mold they’ll have their choice at hand and then can add their color and scent to it. So they’ll need to have their scent (if desired) and color selected as well.

For the packaging of the soap, you might consider gauze or cheese cloth. It can be tied with a bit of raffia to add to the homemade feel. Have the student then attach a created by name tag to it. If each student does two or three soaps you’ll have a nice supply for your soap fundraiser.

After all the soap making is done, it’ll be time to start promoting the fundraiser. Send out notices announcing the sale and where it will be taking place. You might be able to get your local “Bath and Beauty” store to host the sale for you. You can promote the sale by having some of the students hand out fliers to businesses close to the store where sale will be held. Let all who comes know the proceeds are all going towards the school’s fundraiser.

There’s many ways to approach a fundraiser like this. You’ll just need to work out what will work for your school and environment. People love home-made things, especially soaps, so promote this one big time. The students will enjoy making the soap and packaging it as well. This fundraiser could lead to other home-made projects and fundraisers.

Soap Maker Fundraiser is a post from: Fundraising Ideas

Most kids enjoy being creative, give them something to mold, paint, or draw and before you know it these little maestros of imagination have created masterpieces. Why not funnel all that creativity into making something which can actually be useful to others. Why not host a “Hair Bow and Bolo Fundraiser”.

This fundraiser is one the kids can do during their art time at school. Set aside a few months for making the hair bows and bolos to sell. Give the kids a general guideline to go by, but let their individuality shine forth by allowing them to design and make the items as they’d wear them. These are easy to make and should not be to difficult for the students to do.

Find a website for making hair bows, particularly a site geared especially for young people, so it would be a great reference for making hair bows. Look for many different hair bow patterns to make. Cute pattern ideas for implementing buttons and bottle caps and so much more can be brought into the mix for extra designing power!

Not to leave the boys out, a great idea for them is to make bolo ties. These can be worn for dress up or for fun. You can also find directions online for making simple bolo ties. The great thing about bolo ties is that they can be dressed up with so many cool things. Coins, cool buttons, or pendants are a few suggestions to dress the ties up with.

Since this will be taking place at the school, the art teacher and others, who might volunteer to help, can over see the actual construction of each of these projects so that they will be wearable. The end result is that these pieces will be sold to raise money for the school, so they need to be functional. After a few months of creating it’s time for the “Fundraising” part.

Choose a day when students can be there with their parents and other family members. Send out invitations to the “Arts and Craft Fundraiser” by way of fliers which the students will take home. Give each student five copies of the flier so they can put them in the hands of other family members, like grandparents, aunts and uncles, neighbors and so on.

Be sure to state that the items have been made by the students. These are unique one of a kind items, so it will be on a first come, first serve basis. So all who are interested in purchasing these will need to be there at the time of the fundraiser. This fundraiser can be held in the gym or cafeteria of the school where tables can be placed long ways where the items can be on display from both sides of the table and easy to get to.

The hair bows and bolo ties should be priced fairly. Yes this is one of a kind art, but you want to sell those pieces so price them wisely. You can put up donation boxes through the event for those gifts of kindness people love to contribute to. Not everyone will be a buyer, but many will want to give something, especially knowing that their grandchild, niece, nephew, or friend had a part in making something.

Arts and Crafts Time Fundraiser is a post from: Fundraising Ideas

Who doesn’t like to be rewarded for good grades? A lot of hard work goes into study and learning. Earning a few dollars for those A’s and B’s are good incentives to strive harder in school too. So why not show your appreciation for all the hard work teachers do by hosting a “For the Grade Fundraiser”.

For every A and B a child makes on their report card, the school will get a small donation. Anything from 1 to 5 dollars depending on what your household can afford. This is a great way to raise funds for the school without a lot of expense going out to organize the fundraiser. An end of the year celebration can take place where it will be announced how much was raised during the school year by the students.

This fundraiser could also be an incentive for grade schools to host a friendly competition with each other to see which school can raise the grades of their students the most. Of course this will need to be an honest and fair competition, not giving A’s and B’s if they are not truly earned. Students need to be proud of their hard work by achieving honest grades. This can move many to actually learn to enjoy studying and seeing the progress of their hard work.

Start this fundraiser by getting with the PTA groups of each school. Create a flier proposing this fundraiser. On the flier state that this fundraiser is to raise funds for all the grade schools, but it is also a fundraiser which shows appreciation for all the hard work teachers invest in teaching children by rewarding all those A’s and B’s their child earns throughout the school year.

Include the information about the friendly competition between the schools on the flier. What parent doesn’t enjoy boasting about their child’s achievements at their school. Make mention of the end of the year celebration where the total amount of money raised will be revealed. You might have a few prizes set aside for the student who raises the most money and the teacher of the student who won.

The celebration itself will be a reward for all the parents, students and teachers. Each school should hold their own event with their own rewards. This way each celebration can be held in the school cafeteria where a fun meal can be served during lunch time. Certificates of participation can be given to all the students who had a part in raising the money for their school, and “Thank You” card could be give to the parents as an expression of gratitude for their donating. They truly will be the ones behind the fund raising of this event.

Fundraisers like this can be very productive in so many ways. It motivates the students to achieve better grades, it allows the students to give back to the school by their parents show of appreciation by making donations towards the fundraiser and it builds strong educational goals for raising the grades of students, as the teachers will be working hard to help the students raise their grades. Everyone involved will benefit from this fundraiser. Too this fundraiser is one every student can participate in.

Remember when implementing this fundraiser, to excite, encourage, and invite all students to do the best they can. Regardless of the grades, even if one or two come up from C’s and D’s by a grade, a great thing has taken place. So let all celebrate this fundraising challenge.

Go for the Grade Fundraiser is a post from: Fundraising Ideas

A new year is upon us. As with new years come the resolutions to be and live better. People are determined to change their life around, so this is a great time to host a “Lose Weight and Feel Better Competition Fundraiser”.

Start by getting your local fitness clubs, centers, and gyms involved. Make known this is a fundraising event and would they be willing to donate their place for weigh ins. Go about promoting this fundraiser as a community life changing event and see what happens. The participating fitness people can even amp up the perks of this fundraiser by giving incentives to be the biggest pound dropper or the person who loses the most body fat.

Prizes could include things like a year’s membership to their business or a day at the spa. The fitness companies can even pledge so much money to the fundraiser if so many pounds are lost by the end of the month. Once their donations are decided upon you can start promoting the fundraiser.

Place an ad in the local paper, sending out eye catching fliers, if you have a local radio station, do an on air advert for the fundraiser. Spread the word throughout your town/city anyway you can. The more who respond, the more funds that will be raised. Promote those prizes as well, build up the excitement for this fundraiser.

Have those who participate find people who will sponsor them for so much money, for every pound they lose in a month. The more sponsors they find the more money brought in. Get the local health communities involved by asking them to donate so much money towards your fundraiser, for the total weight loss of everyone as a whole. You could funnel some of those funds into PE equipment for the school!

Invite local businesses to encourage their staff to take part in this fundraiser. Have them match so much money for the total weight loss of their company and donate it to the fundraiser at the end of the month. It doesn’t need to be lots of money, just an outward showing of support for the community. These businesses could even offer up incentives for their workers who take part. Things like certificates for dinner out or to a movie. The business could even host a company picnic at the end of the competition.

Encourage parents to take part with their children. This is a great way to prevent obesity taking over their child/children’s life. Parent and kids can get other family members, friends, school buddies, workmates and so on to sponsor their weight loss. Make it a time to learn about healthy meal planning and get everyone involved in purchasing healthier foods and making life style changes.

Of course, with any sort of weight loss, be sure to seek the advice of your doctor. Have a physical before you start so he/she can be aware of what is going on. Perhaps you can get your doctor to sponsor your weight loss as well. Look at each person as a potential sponsor for this fundraiser.

At the end of month have everyone who weighed in at the beginning, meet for the finally weigh in. The person who has the biggest weight loss wins a prize and the person who lost the most body fat wins a prize. This fundraiser is one that can truly raise a considerable amount of funds for whatever cause if promoted right. It’s a great fundraiser to educate and to encourage people to get on a living better kick.

One last thing you can arrange for this fundraiser is to have on hand at the weigh in site, doctors, nutritionist, and fitness teachers who can give advice and help in keeping everyone on track with their new way of living. Have pamphlets, medical sheets, and goal charts ready for anyone who wants one. Keep the “Weigh Less” mentality going.

Weight Loss Fundraiser is a post from: Fundraising Ideas

Looking for a great opportunity to host a fundraiser? This one is sure to be a success when implemented. This fundraiser is for the moms. For a small fee, mom’s can enjoy a day with no kids, husbands or chores.

The cost for this fundraiser should include the price of a meal and snack as well as so many hours away from the kids. You don’t want it to be so expensive no moms will want to participate, but it needs to be enough so a decent amount of money is raised. Here is how it works.

Get with your neighborhood, mom groups, and even the community. Find a location where a daycare service can be set up for this day. Enlist the help of your older children, your husbands, relatives and friends. They will be the ones tending to the smaller children while the moms are away.

Some sort of waiver needs to be implemented to protect those tending to the kids and the location the fundraiser will be set up at. Not that anything is going to happen, but just to cover the basis. By having a waiver for the moms to sign will let them know they are leaving the kids at the fundraising site willingly and accept the fact accidents can happen. Those tending to the kids will not be held responsible, unless is was a malicious and intended action against a child.

Also, you’ll need to do an identification verification match with mom’s to kids. Take a photo of the mom with her children. Write the name of her kids on the back, their ages and a code that only the mom and kids will know. Give a copy of the photo to the mom and keep one on file.

When mom comes to retrieve her kids, the only way she can take them is by matching her photo to the one on hand and giving the code word to the person in charge of matching mom’s to kids. Her child/children will also need to give the code, so they need to keep it something easy that can be remembered.

The days activities for the kids can consist of many different things. Have older kids and grown ups assigned to watch over different age groups, to keep things organized and watched over well. Some of the activities that can be enjoyed are:

From ages 5 and up:

Movie viewing
Game station – board games and cards
Video game station
Coloring area
Finger painting area
General TV viewing

Toddler area:

Child friendly videos or movies
Child friendly toy area
Soft block and balls area
Small plastic slides and activity toys to climb on

These areas should be separate so that the smaller kids aren’t in the way of the bigger kids who tend to play a bit rougher than the littler ones. Make these areas zones and keep the ages assigned to each in their zone.

For a meal, keep it finger food friendly. You don’t want to spend a lot of time cleaning up and washing children, so keep things on hand that aren’t to messy, but are easily held by the kids.

Kid friendly foods: (Ask about any allergies and leave those foods out of the mix altogether)

Small peanut butter sandwiches
Hotdogs (cut into bite sizes for the little ones)
Cookies
Boxed Juices
Canned soda
Boxed Milk
Apple slices
Raw Veggies
Banana slices
Cheeto puffs or some sort of plain soft chip

Plan ahead for this though. Visit wholesale warehouses to purchase these things in large quantities. Include the price of a meal and snack in the mom’s fee to cover these added expenses.

If a mom wants her child to take a nap, she’ll need to provide a mat, blanket and pillow for her child/children and a designated area will need to be set up for nap time at the fundraiser location. It would be good to put the kids down at the same time if you’re going to include this option in the package.

This sort of fundraiser can be held several times through the given year. Moms love having “mom time” away from everyone. You can set up some sort of agreement with wherever the first fundraiser was hosted.

Community centers, Church activity areas, Daycare centers are great places for this sort of fundraiser to take place. Most will have toys on hand and are already set up for children. Do bring in things that aren’t provided though. The more things to keep the kids occupied the smoother things will run.

Remember don’t be afraid to ask for voluntary donation time. Play up the fundraiser bit. Most people love helping out. So if the building is donated, make sure to clean it up and put things away. Leave the area better than what you found. This goes a long way in securing it for another time.

Day Care for a Day Fundraiser is a post from: Fundraising Ideas

Dog owners are always on the lookout for new and inviting places in which their dogs can play and exercise. Taking the same route along city streets becomes monotonous, and there are very few places that allow off-leash running. Regardless of whether your area already has a dog park, your organization can create another much-needed dog-friendly area that will benefit them and the financial needs of your program.

Look for a large outdoor area that could accommodate dogs of any size, keeping in mind that they’ll need room to run and have space away from one another as needed. Such areas could be in community parks or on private land. Make note of these locations, and then speak with their respective owners or managers about using the space temporarily for a dog-friendly fundraising event.

Once you have approval to use the chosen location, find other people and businesses in the area that are able to donate supplies and services. A lumber yard, for example, could supply you with large panels that volunteer contractors could then hook together and stabilize. The area needs to be fenced in, with either wood or metal, along the perimeter. Any extra materials can be used to create tunnels, ramps and platforms in the field.

Post flyers on store bulletin boards, particularly those in grooming and pet supply shops, announcing the new park and program that you’re benefiting. To draw additional interest you could also plan and advertise contests and activities, such as a cutest pet contest and an agility course day. Local dog trainers may also be willing to donate their services at the park, to either host basic obedience lessons or teach advanced tricks.

You will need to post some rules and regulations for the area. Note that dogs must be current on their rabies vaccinations, for instance, and that the dog owners are liable for anything involving their dog. Your city may also have other pet-related ordinances in place that you will need to follow, so be sure to check everything with your city government.

Dog owners can make a donation to use the park. The fee structure could all depend on how long you’ll have the park running, though. If it will be long term, you could request a flat fee for the season. Other options include a flat weekly fee, a door charge fee for activity or contest days; or a donated amount of their choice for use on regular days. If you won’t have someone there at all hours to check the entrance, attach a locked box to the front gate so that people can leave “good faith” donations when entering the park.

The activity and fundraising options for this are nearly endless. But even with few supplies, you can create an area that’s safe for dogs to go for a fun run off leash. Their owners will thank you!

Dog Park Fundraiser is a post from: Fundraising Ideas

You know that delicious cake recipe that was passed down from your Grandma? It’s not something you’d find in any old cookbook, as it was your family who tweaked it to perfection. Since most families also have their own special steps to sweet perfection, it only makes sense to turn all those treats into a community-building event. Prepare to loosen your belt a notch; this fundraiser will have everyone begging for one more bite.

The recipe card fundraiser brings revenue from two sources: an auction and a community cookbook. This is only one event, though, so you need only schedule a single gathering for it. Try to secure a large area such as a fire hall or school gymnasium for the day of the fundraiser.

Advertise in advance that you’re looking for participants to prepare baked goods from their own family recipes, as well as donate other recipe cards as a cookbook contribution. Also advertise that the event is open to all members of the community. Anyone can participate in the auction, including those who aren’t bringing baked goods.

Ask each family that’s participating to bake a large pan (or multiple servings) of their classic family dessert, and to have it at the chosen location on the date of the event. They should also bring their recipe for it, plus any other recipe they’d like to submit to the community cookbook.

Place all the baked desserts on a row of tables against one wall. Each dessert will need a name so that participants can note their favorites. Either write the family’s last name or the dessert’s name on an index card beside the pan. Provide fresh coffee, hot water and tea bags, disposable utensils, and plenty of seating. Any items you’re in need of for this may be donated by area businesses.

Everyone in the community is then invited to drink coffee and taste all the different desserts while socializing with others. Remind everyone to make note of their favorite dessert for a chance to “win” it. Once everyone has taste tested all the cakes, hold up the card to each dessert, one by one, so that members of the community can bid on it. The highest bidder gets to see and keep the secret recipe.

A ballot-type box on one of the tables can be used to gather other recipe contributions, which should not be the same recipes that are being auctioned off. Ask a local printer to donate their services for a small cookbook made from the donated recipes. If you’re unable to find a printer for this, you could have one person (preferably someone with design skills) organize it and make copies. These cookbooks can then be sold at school and community events for the benefit of your chosen program.

Recipe Card Auction is a post from: Fundraising Ideas

Bring the beach indoors for a kid-approved activity that’s fun, creative, and fit for fundraising. Sand art can take many forms, from solid sculpture to textured pictures, but the easiest, cleanest form of all is bottled sand art. This art form allows a lot of imaginative expression from the kids, thus creating a heartening end product that parents and guardians can proudly display in the home and office.

First you will need to gather the art supplies. Containers for bottled sand art can be either glass or plastic; however, you may need additional chaperones for the activity if using glass bottles in a class of younger students. Ask parents and other community members to donate small jars and other decorative see-through containers. Bottles with lids are best, but any that don’t have lids are still usable.

The local arts and crafts store may donate the colored sand to you. If you are only able to get a donation of plain sand from another company, don’t worry; the kids can color it! Partly fill plastic baggies with sand, and then shake them after adding a dab of food coloring to each. Lay the sand out flat to dry thoroughly afterward. Another option is to place a thin layer of sand on wax paper and roll over it with colored chalk.

To truly individualize each piece of sand art, gather small ornaments and decorations for the inside and outside of the bottles. Craft supplies such as small jewels, seashells and faux flowers can be added. These can either be donated from local shops or brought in by the children who are participating in the activity.

For the activity itself, set up small stations that groups of children can work from. Cover the table in newspaper and set out a container of each sand color. They can then use rolled paper or an actual funnel to pour layers of multiple colors into their bottles. Embellishments can be added by sticking them into the sand, and up against the glass, with a pair of tweezers, or glued to the outside.

For any jars that did not come with lids, place a small piece of fabric over the opening and secure it in place with a colored rubber band. Jewels and flowers can then be attached to the band.

The fundraising aspect of this activity is quite simple. If there’s a school or community event, display all of the bottled sand art together, along with a placard noting the program for which your organization is raising monies. People can then purchase pieces of sand art. In thanks to the community for their participation, you could also have each purchaser write their name on a paper star to stick to the border of the placard.

Display remaining pieces in the office or another area of the school that sees a lot of traffic from parents and caregivers, along with a small sign requesting their support for the program.

Sand Art Fundraiser is a post from: Fundraising Ideas

Carnivals are always fun, and so are craft fairs – so why not combine the two for a fundraiser that will give everyone something to do! This fundraiser has minimal supply needs; you’ll need light grade wire, a variety of glass, wood and metal beads, a few pairs of pliers, a package of blank index cards, a fake crystal ball, and normal carnival fare (hot dogs / corny dogs, lemonade / soda, popcorn and candy). Grocery stores will often donate foodstuffs for a school event, and local craft and hobby stores can donate supplies for bracelet making.

The school parking lot is a great place to set up your Gypsy Fair. Set up tents or awnings with curtains around them for the fortune tellers. Make a simple ‘tarot’ deck by decorating the index cards with hearts (love) dollar signs (money) and exclamation marks (exciting events).  One costumed fortuneteller can address the crystal ball, while the other can draw a card to perform a ‘reading’ for the willing.

Make bracelets from the wire and beads, twisting the ends together with pliers and poking the ends back inside the beads. You can have an assortment ready for sale, and a table set up for kids to make their own creations, with volunteers finishing off the wire. Sell the bracelets for $3 each, or two for five – they’ll go like hotcakes. You can make necklaces too, if you get clasps for the ends.

You can circle volunteers’ and teachers’ vehicles around if you are outdoors and decorate them with scarves and other sundries to form the gypsy caravan. You can hand out candies from the tailgates, and bring a larger crowd. Set up a large table for refreshments, and bring in even more revenues.

You can add many things on to this carnival; a fake snake charmer, a man on stilts, a bearded lady and a juggler are all great additions if you have willing and talented volunteers. You can set up a dunking booth, a guess your weight or age stand, and even ring tosses or balloon target dart throwing practice for the younger kids. Have them fish behind the curtain for small treats, or ask the man in the mask the answer to questions drawn on a card.

For large carnivals, consider working the ticket plan – sell tickets for a quarter of fifty cents each ($10 minimum) and charge tickets for each event or booth. This is a great carnival for late summer, as everyone can use a little fun! Just remember to have plenty of bottled water on hand if it is still hot, and consider spraying for bugs the day before if you plan to hold your carnival outdoors.

Have fun with your costumes – many costume shops rent ridiculously cheaply in the off season, or if you have talented seamstresses in your group make sure to call on them for help. Thrift stores are great places to find outlandish clothing.

Gypsy Beads and Bangles Fundraiser is a post from: Fundraising Ideas